Some of Brisbane’s flood victims received compensation payments weeks ago. Others who are trying to get on with their business haven’t received a cent.

For newly married couple Anne and Andrew MacDonald, the generosity shown after Brisbane’s biggest flood in 30 years prevented a multitude of problems. When the Brisbane River peaked in January, the muddy waters were half a metre from the top of their two-bedroom house at Oxley.

“Initially you don’t notice it because you are in denial but then you realise the money you have lost," Mr MacDonald said.

The recovery is going to cost them about $25,000, including replacing walls and ceilings, but the financial assistance they have received has almost halved their bill.

Running through their tally of grants and donations, it all adds up surprisingly fast.

“We both got Centrelink payments of $1000 each. We got $2000 each from the Queensland Premier’s Flood Appeal, and family and friends have given us a couple of grand as well.

“Annie’s friends in the United States started a fund-raising thing and that got us about $2000," Mr MacDonald said.

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“We have had a lot of the tradesmen come through family and friends so we are getting a lot done at a significantly reduced price.

“We had to buy a new Ikea kitchen for about $2500 but one of my wife’s friends is a cabinet maker and he installed it for free – that would save us a couple of grand easily. We had heaps of people help us out at the start as well, cleaning out the house. I don’t know who half of them were but we had to turn some away because there wasn’t enough work for them."

But for the 28,000 households with some damage to their homes, the original throng of volunteers was just about all the help many of them got.

Norris and Marcia Lewis’s Rosalie Gourmet Market suffered what would have to be one of the more unlucky experiences of the disaster. A boat crashed into their front window after they had sealed the shop up tightly.

“We have not received one red cent from any of the governments," Mr Lewis said. “And I think that is a disgrace."

This is despite putting in claims for everything from relief payments to insurance claims.

It is almost five weeks since the flood, but Mr Lewis said he still had to be confident of getting assistance – especially from his insurer, from which he said he took out as many types of coverage as were on offer.

He has lost income from forgone business, and also because thousands of dollars worth of stock went past its use-by date. Damage to their property will also stack up, even though he hired gas heaters to dry the walls, saving tens of thousands of dollars.

“It is not as if I have sat back – and I have also put all my staff back on," he said.

“I think the big lesson here is to take ownership of the problem yourself – don’t be too reliant on the authorities.

“Fortunately for us we were in a financially sound position but I don’t know how others are surviving."

At Oxley, Mr MacDonald has lodged a claim with his insurer, Comm­Insure.

He hasn’t heard back yet, but luckily Commonwealth Bank announced a benevolent fund that will be used for those who are rejected under Comm­Insure claims.